Two approaches to photography:
“One. Two. Three… Say Cheese! Cheeseburger! Cheesecake!”
…and…
“Just act natural and be yourselves. Pretend I’m not there — oh, wait. Put your left leg there. Yep, awesome. And lift your chin a bit. Oh that looks great! …and can you just pivot yourselves a little this way? I want to get that tree in the background. Okay, now just act naturally…”
Then, sometimes you just have to let go, and trust that things will unfold perfectly.
With the Patel family, they did.
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From their first email to me:
“It is our 10th wedding anniversary and we wanted to do something special with the boys so that they could participate in the celebration. We are Hindu and we thought it would be cool to do a little ceremony on the beach with the boys…”
Amazing!! Done deal. So about 25 days later we met at the beautiful Four Seasons at Hualalai, on the Kona coast, nestled into a nice little spot and began the renewal ceremony and family session, which unfolded perfectly.
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Seven steps together as a family. Each step symbolic..jpg "hawaii_family_photographer_patel_07")
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I suppose that’s why people come to Hawaii. To let things unfold as they will. To relax and “let love lead the way”. Thank you, Patel family, for letting me capture your love for each other. 🙂
– Jim
A perfect Hilo wedding with Christine & Nathan! Their engagement session was loads of fun, and being with them again and meeting their friends and family were the perfect reminders of just how awesome and in love they are. 🙂
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The clouds rolled in as we made our way to Hilo’s New Hope Christian Fellowship for the ceremony..jpg "Hawaii Wedding Photographer - Christine & Nathan-17")
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Taiko drums and katana swords at the reception!
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Party time!.jpg "Hawaii Wedding Photographer - Christine & Nathan-34")
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A brilliant wedding for two awesome people. Thank you Christine & Nathan for having me there!
– Jim
I often feel like I’m not so much a professional photographer, but a professional “noticer”. In that it’s my job to notice things that most people do not. The way the light bounces off a beige wall. Or the timing in which a little girl responds to her grandpa’s jokes. Or how the sunset shining through the haze totally reminds me of the movie “Top Gun”. Love that movie.
Anyway, I noticed a lot of things upon arrival at the Hansen family’s Waikoloa villa. Firstly, they’re a great looking family! Second of all, I could really feel the closeness, love and affection they have for each other. Finally, the light outside was absolutely beautiful, and I knew that our session would be awesome.
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Pulling 5 G’s, at least. Top Gun. Love that movie..jpg "undefined")
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Sometimes I wonder if I notice too much, or think too much about things, or spend too much time on tiny details that no one cares about. But, nah… I’m good just how I am. I love how I see the world, and I’m so grateful that I get to share it with everyone. Thank you, Hansen family, for sharing a piece of your world with me!
– Jim
PS. Turned around before I left and saw the sun was setting as a great ball of fire. Goodness, gracious…
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A session to remember with Karoline, Joel and their 3 year old son, August! Here’s an excerpt from one of Karoline’s first emails to me, which made me instantly excited for our family photography session together —
“I’m looking for something unconventional unposed which shows us as part of nature, as far as possible anyway…”
SAY NO MORE! I’m in. 🙂 After a week of downpours and chilly weather over the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the skies cleared on the morning of our shoot and gave us the kind of views that makes you think about life, the universe and everything.
Karoline, August & Joel.
Everything is amazing…
The air was fresh and the ground felt alive. A sense of grandeur in everything, big and small.
…
It was a great session and really made me glad I ponied up the extra cash for a year-pass to the park. It’s an amazing place to relax and unwind… or to shoot family sessions! 🙂 Thank you so much Karoline, Joel & August!
– Jim
I had arrived pretty early. Not through some miscalculation or a lack of traffic on the drive from Volcano to South Kohala, but because for some reason, I felt like I needed to.
So when I arrived there at Waialea Bay (also known as “69’s”), I promptly walked to where I knew I wanted to shoot, unloaded the heavy photo backpack off my shoulders, and plopped down. Wiggled my toes in the sand and looked at the water. Sun gleamed on the surface. A sea breeze floated around me. “Now this is how to start a work day,” I said out loud. “How could it get any better than this?”
But then, it did.
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…
It was an amazing session with the Howell family. So very refreshing, as all family sessions are. Arriving early had cleared my head, but photographing the Howells had filled it with happiness. I love my job!
– Jim
Jenn Hurst - AWESOME pictures Jim! My husband, Nathan Hurst (who I think you know from the Big Island), and I have become such fans of your photography. Next time we’re back home we’d love to set up a session with you, that is if you’re not booked years in advance:) Again, fabulous pictures.
-Jenn
Jim Dierking - Hi Jenn & Nathan! Nice to hear from you guys; I remember Nathan from back in the day! Let me know the next time you are back on the Big Island, we can definitely schedule something.
Thanks again! 🙂